Question

predict how do you think te global economic crises of the great depression allowed fOR the rise of totalitarian government in the 1930s

Answer 1

Briefly: the Great Depression created widespread economic collapse, social fear, and political delegitimization of existing parties — conditions that made people receptive to radical, authoritarian alternatives that promised order, quick solutions, and national renewal. Below are the main mechanisms, with examples from the 1930s.

Main mechanisms
- Economic collapse and mass insecurity: steep falls in output, trade and employment produced fear, desperation, and loss of middle-class savings. (U.S. unemployment reached ~25% in 1933; German unemployment rose to roughly 30% by 1932; world trade plunged by well over half between 1929–33.) Large numbers of unemployed and impoverished people were more open to drastic solutions and radical mobilization.
- Loss of faith in democratic parties and institutions: existing governments looked ineffective or divided in the face of crisis. When democratic institutions failed to relieve suffering, many voters abandoned them for parties that promised decisive action.
- Polarization and radicalization: economic hardship magnified class conflict and pushed politics to the extremes. Parties on the far left and far right gained support; polarization made stable parliamentary majorities harder to form.
- Appeal of simple narratives and scapegoating: totalitarian movements offered simple explanations (blame minorities, foreign actors, or “corrupt elites”) and promised national rebirth — emotionally powerful in times of crisis.
- Elite accommodation and anti-communist fear: industrialists, conservatives, and portions of the middle class sometimes preferred authoritarian and fascist leaders over the perceived threat of communist revolution, and therefore backed or tolerated them.
- Organizational advantages of movements: fascist and militarist groups used paramilitary forces, disciplined party structures, mass rallies, and modern propaganda to win support and intimidate opponents.
- Legal erosion and emergency powers: once in office or with strong street power, leaders used crises to suspend liberties, manipulate elections, ban opposition, and concentrate power (e.g., Reichstag Fire/Enabling Act in Germany).
- International breakdown and militaristic solutions: the collapse of trade and reparations disputes increased economic nationalism and made aggressive expansion seem a way out (appealed particularly to Japan and revisionist states).

Key examples
- Germany: the 1929 crash and ensuing unemployment and political paralysis helped the Nazi Party grow from a fringe movement into the dominant force; by 1933 Hitler used electoral gains, elite support, street violence, and emergency powers to dismantle democracy.
- Italy: Mussolini seized power earlier (1922) but the Depression weakened the opposition and helped corporatist, repressive policies become entrenched.
- Japan: economic crisis strengthened military factions that promoted expansionism and authoritarian control through the 1930s.
- Eastern and Central Europe: several new or fragile democracies reverted to authoritarian rule as elites and voters favored stability over parliamentary instability.

Not inevitable — why some democracies survived
- Policy responses and social safety nets reduced the appeal of extremists. The New Deal, coalition governments in Britain, and social-democratic reforms in Scandinavia helped restore faith in democratic solutions.
- Strong democratic institutions, political culture, and compromises between parties also limited extremist breakthroughs.

Conclusion
Economic collapse created the social dislocation, political delegitimation, and emotional climate that allowed totalitarian movements to attract mass support and neutralize opponents. Where democratic governments responded effectively or had stronger institutions, authoritarian movements were less successful; where they did not, the Depression became a catalyst for dictatorship.